Taking the stairs

Taking a flight of stairs is not just a happy-'n'-humble method of vertical traversal, but a move away from the madding crowd of elevators and escalators. The pleasure of climbing up and down a staircase beats the static gym bike in working up a healthy sweat.

Taking the stairs is an environmentally friendly choice, consuming no power and producing no emissions. Apart from this, no small pleasure in contributing to a greener future, walking up and down steps, bannisters and staircases brings out the buried bundle of childish joys of clambering up and down.

When no one's looking and around, jumping up the stairs two or even three steps at a time can make you feel doubly-triply alive.


Coming down the stairs, mentally counting each floor before one 'hits' the ground floor, reminds us of the old chestnut about the journey being the destination. 'Stairing' is bereft of the discomfort of vertigo, while being stashed with the pleasures of changing levels. It goes beyond the symbolic and makes us feel the bliss of taking the right steps.